How to Make a Christmas Disco Ball Light
A disco ball, though not technically light source itself, can produce a dazzling array of dancing pinpoints via its reflective surfaces. Creating your own is as simple as coating a lightweight ball with tiny mirrors. One popular type of homemade disco ball is made from the mirror-like pieces of an old CD. You can even project Christmas colored spots of red and green for a groovy holiday celebration.
Things You'll Need
- 20 old CDs
- Six inch diameter polystyrene ball
- Boiling pot
- Tongs or vice grips
- Tacky craft glue
- Green and red translucent spray paint
- Knitting needle or bamboo skewer
- Twine or strong cord
- Ceiling mounted lighting
Instructions
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1
Soften the CDs for cutting. Boil a large pot of water, and lower each CD into the water for 10 seconds. Grip it with a pair of tongs or vice grips. Set the CD on a towel to pat dry. It will be cool enough to handle after drying. Keep the water boiling so you can continually dip CDs and cut them just after submerging.
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2
Cut each CD into tiny square pieces. The pieces should be a half inch by a half inch. If you end up with irregular chunks, that's OK. You'll still be able to use these to make a respectable disco ball.
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3
Paint the CD pieces. Divide the pieces into three equal piles. Place each pile on its own separate sheet of newspaper. Ensure the pieces are all sitting with their undersides up. Spray paint the pieces. Make one pile red and pile green. Leave the pieces in the third pile as they are.
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4
Poke a hole through the center of a polystyrene ball with a knitting needle or bamboo skewer. Thread a cord through the polystyrene ball. Tie a large knot at one end. Secure this to the ball by applying a generous amount of glue at the mouth of the hole on that side. This will ensure that the disco ball spins along with the string rather than spinning on the string. At the other end, leave at least two feet of extra cord length for hanging.
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5
Attach the CD pieces to the outside of the ball. Glue the pieces, colored sides out, to the polystyrene using tacky glue. If the pieces you cut are of fairly regular shapes, glue them in staggered rows resembling brickwork. If not, match up the pieces like a puzzle with large and small sections to create full coverage. Stagger the colors so that you never have too many of the same color next to each other.
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6
Hang the ball. Tie a loop in the top of the cord and hang the ball from the ceiling. Position the other lights so that they point at the surface of the ball. Twist the ball and start it spinning.
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